Mudslide buries community in southern Philippines

Reuters Staff

1 Min Read

MANILA (Reuters) - A mudslide triggered by heavy rain has buried dozens of houses in a farming community in the southern Philippines, local disaster officials said on Friday.

A man clings onto the rope of a rescue boat as residents are evacuated from their homes due to heavy flooding in Cagayan de Oro city in the Philippines, December 22, 2017. Picture taken December 22, 2017. REUTERS/Froilan Gallardo

Soldiers and emergency workers rushed to a remote village in the Tubod region in Lanao del Norte province, expecting to find casualties from landslides and massive flooding, local disaster official Roy Secuya told journalists.

“We have no contact with village officials because power and communications lines were down due to a tropical storm,” Secuya said. “There were unconfirmed reports of deaths but we still do not have the numbers.”

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Heavy equipment was being sent to the area, he added.

Tropical storm Tembin has weakened after hitting land on the island of Mindanao. Local officials said seven people had been killed by flooding in Lanao del Sur province.